Talks begin for Volkswagen and Ford to join forces on new car range

It’s been announced that Volkswagen and Ford are in talks to develop a join strategy for a new range of commercial cars.

The two groups have said that any strategic alliance would not involve equity arrangements, including cross ownership stakes.

In a statement, Jim Farley, president of global markets at Ford, said:​ “Ford is committed to improving our fitness as a business and leveraging adaptive business models – which include working with partners to improve our effectiveness and efficiency.

“This potential alliance with the Volkswagen group is another example of how we can become more fit as a business, while creating a winning global product portfolio and extending our capabilities.

“We look forward to exploring with the Volkswagen team in the days ahead how we might work together to better serve the evolving needs of commercial vehicle customers – and much more.”

This latest potential strategic alliance suggests further consolidation in the car industry amid tough market conditions, such as the rise of electric vehicles and declining car registrations.

Thomas Sedran, head of Volkswagen group strategy added: “Markets and customer demand are changing at an incredible speed. Both companies have strong and complementary positions in different commercial vehicle segments already.

“To adapt to the challenging environment, it is of utmost importance to gain flexibility through alliances. This is a core element of our Volkswagen group strategy 2025. The potential industrial cooperation with Ford is seen as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of both companies globally.”